Len The Plumber

Update 2 months later: Even though Len the Plumber said, "Our service department will follow up with you to discuss your experience." they never did. On a night back in December 2017 my hot water heater finally sprung a leak the same night I came home from surgery. I had already bought and partially installed a new hot water heater in a better location in the laundry room, only needed someone to connect the hot and cold and gas. In a pinch, I called Len the Plumber thinking I want a pro. They scheduled for the next afternoon but later called to reschedule the next day after. Fine. The hot water heater is shut off and drained, no big deal, got showers at grandmoms house. A guy came out that morning. I was somewhat satisfied with the plumber sent by Len, guy's name was Mark. Mark had a positive work attitude even when the job became difficult. However, I have a BIG problem with the quoting process and the request for a considerable amount of additional money above the quoted price at the completion of the job. Let me explain the day. It was apparent to me that the technician on site needed some assistance at times and I volunteered to help ... after all it's my house and my family needs hot water. However, I probably should not have been working because I was 40 hours post-op of surgery and I paid the price for that the next morning. I even went to Lowes to buy parts he didn't have on the truck. I thought they stocked everything they needed on the truck according to their site. I also picked up a Wawa hoagie for the guy. The BIGGEST issue I have was that I was asked to pay an addition $450 over the quoted price of $1040 at the completion of the job, a 45% increase in the quoted price! The reason? The bossman on the phone with the plumber in my house said it took 2 hours longer than expected. Two hours. An additional $450. NO additional work was done beyond the work quoted. NO extra parts. I had all the parts and I drove out to Lowes and paid for what he didn't have in stock on the truck. I refused to pay an additional 45% for multiple reasons. Number one, I was not quoted nor did I agree to $1490. I agreed to $1040. Two, time spent on the job was never a factor in the quote. Underestimating how long it will take is not my problem unless I agree to that up front. There was no additional work done beyond what was quoted. I signed a legal document agreeing to the quoted price. The negotiation to try to get some amount of additional money out of my pocket left me with the feeling that I am being taken advantage of. The plumber guy in my house was talking to his boss on the phone and relaying the request for more money from me laying on a guilt trip that it is going to come out of his pocket. Really? No way Mark. No way Len. What kind of operation is this? No wonder they can afford expensive trucks. This sounds like some sort of scam tactic. How many people has this tactic worked on? While I appreciate a job well done by a professional plumber, I don't appreciate a 45% surprise at the completion of the job. The initial quote that I agreed to did not specify any kind of time constraints on the job, just a cost that I agreed to. The quote was for labor only. Time totaled 6 hours of work. That's $173 / hr. at the originally quoted cost. That's VERY expensive for a plumber. The attempt to get more money out of me after completing the job calculates out to $248 an hour! That's INSANELY expensive for any profession, except maybe a good lawyer. If you factor out that request for more money, the overall experience was positive. The mildly challenging job was completed quickly, professionally and the quality workmanship was decent. I would have left a good review. I had hot water the next morning. I give the technician higher marks for his work. However, the attempt to jack the cost up by 45% undermines my trust in your company Len. I could easily see this tactic working with less knowledgeable customers. If you like surprises, then, by all means, give them a call.